10.31.2010

Leggings Party #1

October 19th we had our first Leggings Party.
With the help of some amazing family we folded, stuffed and finished sewing 600 pairs of leggings! AND we were no where to being done. We ended up stopping because we ran out of the stories we are putting in the bags! We will be having another little party coming up this next month where we will finish getting everything put together. Its been amazing to see the out poor of love and support these leggings have brought. They make me so happy. I can only imagine the little legs that get to fill them.
You are all the reason for this.
Thank You!
If you are still interested in donating leggings please get them to us no later than Thanksgiving. It takes more time to put these things together than we expected. We want to make sure everything is put together perfectly before we take them to the Children's hospital. Please email me for instruction, an address to send the leggings to or any other questions you might have.

A Special Donation

A couple weeks ago I came home to find this on my porch.
Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!
The person who organized this amazing delivery is someone very special to Ryan and I. She was the paramedic that took Makenzie from IMC hospital on November 17th to Primary Children's.
I sat upfront with the sweet driver who kept trying to reassure me things would be okay and keep my mind distracted. She sat in the back with my baby. She kept her happy and made her comfortable. This sweet girl has kept up with us and our family. She has been an amazing supporter and we love her so much.
This was donated by Gold Cross Ambulance.

10.11.2010

The Leggings Project

This girl
became famous at Primary Children's Hospital because of these things
Since Makenize Passed away in December I have been determined to continue to make a difference in her name. To show the world how amazing she is and that she is truly an inspiration. To show everyone a different way to look at life and this world.
I want to do something that will help other children in Kenzie's situation feel loved, feel comforted and know they are not alone. I want them to know angels are with them. The children's hospital is a different place. The people are different, the environment is different the spirit is different. Unfortunately many families walk out those door without the most important part of their life with them. To many people have to look death in the eye. To many people have to experience mass amounts of suffering. These children are going through so much. Whether they have a terminal disease, a trauma or a mystery diagnosis. They are living a life most will never experience. They are fighting and they are fighting hard.
When I started this project I said my goal was 150 leggings. I thought Ehh.. Ill be able to donate a couple, a few people will enjoy them and it will be a way for others to know Makenzie.
My goal is now 1500 leggings and my goal is to simply help every child I can at PCMC to feel some peace and comfort and bring even a little smile to their day. These leggings represent hope to me. They represent love far beyond what anyone here on earth could give. They represent happiness.
.... Quite a bit from a pair of socks right :)
Kenzie Baby Leggings was created to honor her but its grown into honoring everyone else as well. The amount of support I have seen through this project is overwhelming. Its empowering. Its inspiring. To see everyone come together.
So about these leggings...
Whats great is you can not only wear them on your legs but your arms, your hands or feet... They will keep you warm- seriously those rooms are freezing. and They are so freaking stylish! Through the month of November I will continue to collect donations. They can come in the form of knee high adults socks that I can make into leggings or already made baby leggings. On December 13 2010 they will be donated to Primary Children's hospital in Salt Lake City Utah. We currently have around 1000 pairs of leggings. We still need 500+ to reach our goal.
*Here are some examples of the adult KNEE high socks that can be donated. They need to be fun/funky/different patterns or solid colors (no boring white please)
*For these socks, I was planning on sewing them myself along with some family members that have offered to help but if you would like to help sew them- please email me and ill send you the instructions and patterns. (I promise, its really easy)
*You can buy these socks at numerous places. I get them at target because they are only $2.
*If you will be sending these socks or money donations please have them to me no later than November 1st so I can have enough time to sew them. You can email me for my address.
* If you are going to sew them yourself please have them to me no later than December 1st so I can have enough time to package them.
*These are the already made-nothing else to do but stick those cute things on a pair of fat, plump, or skinny legs.
*You can buy these at target, walmart, kid to kid, any baby boutique or online at http://www.babylegs.com. They are a bit more expensive (around $8-$10) a pair but there is no work to be done and they fit for quite a bit longer than the homemade leggings.
LUCKY for us, http://www.babylegs.com has graciously partnered with our project and is doing a very special thing! If you mention Kenzie's Baby legs project and enter code BLKenzie at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount on your order--- and for every pair of leggings you buy for our project they will match it! That means if you order 3 leggings- they will send me 3 more leggings = 6 leggings! This is a huge huge huge blessing. We will be able to collect so many more leggings and make this an even bigger donation to the hospital for these amazing kids.
If you have any questions please let me know, you can email me or leave a comment with your email address. Thank you for helping us get where we are, almost 1000 pairs is simple amazing! We are soo very honored and blessed.
You are all making a difference!

10.03.2010

Balloons

whats the story behind these? just balloons right? not to us. when kenzie was in the hospital this was one of the first times i realized how incredibly strong she is. when a friend sent her balloons, i brought them in her room, she wouldn't take her eyes off them. i gave them to her. she held them. a little girl losing all control over her body. grabbed those balloons and wouldn't let go. wouldn't take her eyes off them. i could see a miracle that day. to see the strength she held in that little body. i was amazed. since that day we always had balloons in her room. they made her happy. she wouldn't take her eyes off them. the night she left us. we sent her balloons. we continue to send her balloons. its something we can still give her. its something where we can feel connected. we write on them, kiss them and send them to her. for her birthday i ordered over 1000 balloons. a group blew them up throughout the whole day. everyone got one. we sent them off. to not only makenzie but to every other angel that lost their battle. it was amazing.

The Cake

The story of the cake. That's the main thing right. Every first birthday is about the cake, the mess, the first taste. I wanted to give that to my daughter. I wanted to give her the best cake I could. But. I didn't know what I would do. I wanted something great. It was her first birthday cake. I cant really bake and I definitely cant cook and I couldn't think of spending money on the cake because we were spending so much on everything else. I finally figured we wouldn't have one. Then I got an email. From this amazing girl. She won a cake. From Sprinklebelle. She said she wanted me to have that cake. She wanted Sprinklebelle to make Makenzie a cake. Couldn't believe it! Then Jill from Sprinklebelle said she wanted to make an even bigger cake and make it just how I dreamed. She made her fairy cake. She made it better than I dreamed. I couldn't believe my eyes. I took it home. We ate it on her first birthday with her family. I can just imagine how happy Kenzie was to have that be her cake. Who else has this cake for their 1st birthday? I love it. I'm in love. Thank you Ali, Thank you Jill. For the best thing I could ever ask for.